Bexar Democrats, Republicans cheer debaters

Bexar County Democratic Party chairman Manuel Medina, center, gestures and shouts "Four more years!" at the end of Tuesday's debate between President Barack Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney. About 40 activists monitored the debate at the party headquarters.

Photo By John W. Gonzalez/Express-News

Dozens of GOP supporters monitored Tuesday's presidential debate at Pizzeria Venti in Helotes. The debate watch event was sponsored by the Republican Party of Bexar County.

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Bexar County Democrats cheered wildly near the end of Tuesday's presidential debate, when President Barack Obama finally criticized Mitt Romney's legendary comment that 47 percent of voters count on entitlements.

It was a reference the Democrats hoped would come in the candidates' first debate, but even though it was late, it drove the crowd of 40 people at Bexar County Democratic Party headquarters into a frenzy of whoops and cheers.

But Republicans watching the debate at a gathering in Helotes had their own moments of celebration, as Romney assailed Obama's energy and job-creation policies.

A crowd of at least 70 partisans meeting at Pizzeria Venti cheered Romney's portrayals of Obama's fiscal policies as bad for big and small businesses.

“I was really pleased with Mitt Romney,” Republican Party of Bexar County chairman Curt Nelson said. “He really turned in another strong performance. He has a track record, he has experience, he's a problem solver, and that came through loud and clear.”

He added, “The energy discussion was a strong suit for Romney.”

That's when the crowd, which included U.S. Rep. Francisco “Quico” Canseco, R-San Antonio, loudly scoffed at Obama's defense of his energy policies and gas prices.

Democrats had eagerly awaited the faceoff as Obama's opportunity to atone for a disappointing performance in the first debate Oct. 3 at the University of Denver in Colorado. Romney was credited with a more animated and aggressive style that night.

Thursday's debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Republican candidate Paul Ryan was rated a more even contest.

After Tuesday's debate, Democrats broke into chants of “Four more years!” before party chairman Manuel Medina exhorted them to hit the streets to assure Obama's re-election.

“The president laid out the details about how he's going to keep this country going forward,” Medina said.

“Over the past couple of debates, it's been a Romney that suddenly cares about the middle class, that all of a sudden cares about Latinos, cares about women,” Medina said.

Tuesday's debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., followed a town-meeting format, allowing audience members to address questions directly to the candidates. It was moderated by CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley.

Canseco said the format wasn't a true debate, “punch and jab and that sort of thing.” Instead, it was more of a discussion of issues, “and that's what the American people want to hear.”

Local GOP and Democratic groups also plan watch parties for the third and final presidential debate on Monday.